Quilting In the Pacific NW

D9P Top Almost Complete

2010-07-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

Top just needs borders added then its complete.

The Queen has Arrived

2010-06-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

ELNA 7300 Pro Quilting Queen

Has Arrived

I initially was so very excited. However the box was missing the foot pedal and the manual so I am kinda bummed out, was looking forward to a fun sewing weekend.

Here she is so far

Fabric Cutting

2010-06-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

Well I went out on a gamble and won. I bought an Accuquilt Go! die and tried to adapt it to work in my Spellbinders Wizard Machine and it DOES!!!! I just needed to add the rubber pad on top of the plastic one to have enough thickness.

Cost for the Go Machine is $249 Cost for the Spellbinders Machine is $109. There is one limitation which would be i can only use dies 6" wide or less so the larger ones such as strip cutting die etc wont work on here. Also,

my machine will also use on many other brands of dies that can be adapted to cut

either fabric or paper. However I have no intentions of trying out paper on the accuquilt dies since they cost so much more than scrapbooking ones.

Celtic Medallion

2010-06-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

Ok here is the final auditions.. The orig blue fabric i wanted to use for bias strips is old and wont hold up for applique use so had to do some rethinking. I am now going to use a new blue for backround and the gold Stonehenge gold fabric for my bias celtic work.

New Project - Idea Stage

2010-05-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

I am working on creating my own hand applique project/pattern.
I found this free public domain Celtic image and thought that would make a great wall hanging or a medallion centerpiece for a quilt.

The Gold fabric is from a line called Stonehenge
and the Celtic fabric my mother purchased for me overseas.

I am going to use the gold for my backround and the solid blue for bias strips.

Here is a closer view.

Opinions and suggestions are welcome :)

D9P - And the winner is....

2010-05-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

I have decided on a placement for the blocks
I just have a few more blocks to fix then good to go...
Thank God for Design walls!!!

Lessons Learned, Moving On... D9P Progress

2010-05-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

Well for right now the mystery quilt was just stressing me out so I decided to put it aside and go back to working on finishing my Nieces D9P Quilt. Oh..and these fabrics are all the same line, so no messing up my color combos....lol

I have played around with the blocks for a while and came up with this design.

Throw Me A Curve Mystery Solved

2010-04-26T16:01:00.000-07:00

I came up with this design on my own using blocks from the mystery. Every person in class had to design their own so no 2 were alike. However I was voted by Mark Lipinski to have the ugliest fabric in class. (ok ok, I am mistaken, see comments below from Mark :) )

Class is over and overall the week was beyond fun. 2 days of class, learned new things, Laughed a lot, cried a little....attended an insanely funny lecture and an interesting Guild live auction later and I survived.

I was really happy to learn to to sew curves with absolutely no pins, and I took a lot away from the class that will stay with me. Some good, some bad. This class was definitely out of my comfort zone for quilting, and I think I top the list for nearly most embarrassing question asked of me by Mark...lol I pushed myself in class to create something from nothing which I had never done before. After the class was over I had a quilt top design I was satisfied with.
At the end of the 2nd day there was prizes for best design, etc. and then the shocker, the prize for ugliest fabric and I got to be the not so lucky recipient. I should clarify, I think it was that I did a surprisingly good job with the ugliest fabric and was able to pull it off or something like that. My heart sank right after hearing I had the ugliest fabric and beyond that I honestly cant recall what else was said. I wasnt totally satisfied with my fabric choices to begin with but I didn't think they were totally ugly. Maybe I am just not meant to pick out fabrics.

Throw Me a Curve Mystery Quilt (Mark Lipinski Class)

2010-04-15T23:19:00.000-07:00

Getting close to class time. Only ONE more week to go. I bought my fabrics yesterday. I am destined to get to this class because the transmission on my van went dead AFTER i bought my fabric!!! (hubby blames my quilt shopping on the failure..go figure...)

I needed 3 Fabrics in distinct values of light medium and dark and I wanted 2 things. 1) wanted it patriotic and 2) wanted to finally utilize something from the stash i inherited when my grandmother passed away. I have accomplished both..yipeee. The dark and lights were my purchased fabrics and the medium blue is from my stash.
hmmmm do i get any points for partially stash busting?? hehe

2010-04-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

Well I have not had a real update in months. Had a lot of issues with the family going on and have really not felt quilty at all for some time. My stepson is now living with his grandmother which has reduced a ton of stress with the other kids and in the house. Those of you who know whats going on, thank you for the support and prayers. It also doesn't help that both of our vehicles are in need of major major repairs. Hopefully in the next week we can find a way to fix one of them.

To try and inspire my quilting bug, I redid my sewing room a little with a small budget and a fun trip to IKEA, which by the way is almost my favorite store of all time!!! I am starting to get my quilt bug back and going to try and post more. I am very excited about next week. I am taking a 2 day class with Mark Lipinski, although its "out of the box" for me because the quilt is a mystery one so no clue how it will look just know my colors needed. I will post new photos of class and mystery quilt soon.

I also have put a sewing machine on layaway. I am getting an Elna 7300 Pro Quilting Queen. I got like $800 off on it and I am so excited I wish I could just have it delivered today!!! I have 1/2 paid up and soon will have the other 1/2. It may be a while yet, but it is definitely something good to look forward too.

2010-02-04T12:44:00.001-08:00

Christmas

2009-12-03T02:10:00.001-08:00

Rescued Quilt Top

2009-12-02T23:34:00.000-08:00

In spring of 2007 when everyone was cleaning out my grandmothers house my family was going to throw this in the trash. Thank goodness I was there to rescue it and keep it safe.

Nephews Quilt Progress

2009-11-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

Wow, its turning out so nice. I am finally ready to assemble it. With the stripes being so different in areas it took me over 2 hours to just stage it on the wall but worth it to have it done right the first time.

Fun N Done ( QAYG)

2009-10-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Cars Quilt Crashed- Repairs Complete

2009-06-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the quilt top staged up. I wanted to get the wheels more even and should have just left it alone. Too Late now, damage is done :( ....So Just put em in the shop and fix em up. :)

Flat Tires - BEFORE

AFTER!
I am soooo glad I decided to repair the wheels im 100% happier with the outcome. I trimmed down the edge of original wheels and cut the back off then turned it and sewed to the back. Then i added steam a seam to get it back onto the black wheel. They now have a more dimensional look than before.
.

Oh and my newly found secret to cutting a perfect 12" circle. I had struggled with just a cut template because my rotary blade would cut into the template soooo, while in the cake isle at Joanns it hit me.

Turn this upside down and it works like a charm, the ridges help keep it steady
& it was less than $5

Table topper

2009-06-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

Just needs to be quilted :) then all done

2 Hour Tulip Purse

2009-06-08T10:00:00.001-07:00

I don't like the light green for my purse but I think it will go with my fairy quilt below.
Only problem now is finding more than a 5" sqaure of that other fabric....LOL
Not sure if it shows up but the 5" square is more teal and the large light fabric
is more minty green.

Fairy Quilt Fabric
Cicily Mary Barker Fairies!!

Market Bag, Its Reversible!!

2009-06-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

This is the first of 3, I changed the bottom so it was more squared out. I am going to cover some template plastic in fabric to use as a more secure bottom in the bag. I also need to decide on how to finish out the handles. But other than that Its done & REVERSIBLE!!

New Fabric, New UFO's

2009-05-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ok Shorter twitter like version...

Go to quilt shop for fabric for pattern i have. Found Fabric, Awesome batik!! Buy Fabric
Go to quilt show, find other hard to find fabric needed
Find ANOTHER pattern just have 2 have..Buy pattern, need more fabric

This was my original choice for the market bag.
The floral is from my grandmothers "stash" but found out my aunts
favorite colors are not blue they are more of a green so off to the quiltshop
I went to find something in green.

Found this lovely batik with green and purple and speckles of gold. I think my aunt will love it. I already had the white batik at home for the bag lining.

****At the quilt show with fabric still in my bag, I decided I wanted to make something more than just a plain market bag with this fabric so I went looking around for more patterns.

Then...

Found this border print i needed for another project and looked over next to the register
and...
There was this oh so cute purse with FQ tucked inside and the pattern for the purspattern tucked in the back. It can be made in 4 sizes. I just had to have it.

I try to give credit where due.
*Purse pattern: "The Two Tulip Purse Bouquet" designed by Janice D. Pope*
html://www.janicedpope.com

.

2 Beautiful 2 Cut?

2009-05-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

I just cant bring myself to cut this even though its perfect for the project i want to do.

.
I think this one should work for now :) its pretty too

Final Audition

2009-05-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

Sewing Room View

2009-05-20T14:35:00.001-07:00

Forgot to add one of the most important parts of my sewing room....The Daytime View!!!
Blackberries coming my way soon!

New Fabric!

2009-05-15T16:38:00.001-07:00

Saw these purple ones and liked em .....And then this batik just called out to me!!!

Decisions Made!!

2009-05-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

Lots of frog stitchin' ransacked the stash,
and a trip to the LQS

Final color additions

My Turtles :) ~ All Done!!.

Choosing Fabric (Take 2)

2009-05-10T11:25:00.001-07:00

What do you think??

Pineapple Express is DONE!!!!

2009-05-08T22:42:00.001-07:00

Finally Finished the Pineapple Express!!!
I only had to cut and sew 825 pieces. Thank God for Paper Piecing...lol

Last Row, almost there!

Complete!!!

Credit for the original Copyrighted Pattern:
Quilter/Instructor Carol Maddox www.nwquiltcrossing.com

Afghans

2009-05-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

My mother gave us these for our wedding and they have just been sitting away in a box, well No More... :) oh and the "Quilt rack", thats a Towel Rack from IKEA $19.99, way cheaper than the pricey metal quilt racks I have seen

Sewing Room Mini Makeover

2009-05-04T20:52:00.001-07:00

After sorting all the fabric I got this urge to re-arrange the whole room. Only took about 12 hours to get done...lol

Project Stash Cleaning 2009

2009-04-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

Ok.... 2 weeks ago went to find some fabric and couldnt find it anywhere..enough is enough time to sort all of it out. First part of my "stash" was Spring 2007 we were cleaning out my grandmothers house to sell and no one wanted her stash, and it was about the only thing no one else already wanted or was fussing over so I gladly took ownership :)

Then from that point till now I have just collected a bit of my own.. And no it wasnt piled up like this always, i collected it all in one area so i can see my own progress and not feel like im the abyss of fabrics folding...lol Wow..i think i had a ruler holder on my desk there somewhere at one time...lol and wow, i see my usb charger for my cell phone...hehehe

Progress so far... Folding on and off for 4 days straight now and still have a big pile to go, feels endless but will be nice when its all neat and organized.

cutting mat fix

2009-04-25T00:13:00.001-07:00

Girls Day Out

2009-04-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

Roxanne Carter's "Girls Day Out"
April 2009 BOM

I wanted to turn my Pineapple wall hanging into more of a sampler so I did this block in the same line of colors as the other one so they will match.

My New Sewing Table

2009-04-06T04:43:00.000-07:00

I am the proud new owner of this table. I Found this on Craigslist for only $75 and just could not pass this up. I am going to give it a fresh coat of paint before bringing her into my sewing room. OOOH and its BIG too, it's 72" X 42" and 30" high.

Pineapple Progress

2009-02-25T06:23:00.000-08:00

ALMOST DONE!!!
April Update:
All I have left to complete is the 4 all white corners.

February Progress

Almost Done! Only the 4 corner blocks left. (Hey thats only 132 more pieces!!)

I think instead of a Mini Quilt I should make it the center medallion on a quilt :)

Pineapple Express

2009-02-20T08:39:00.000-08:00

My Very First Paper Piecing....Im Hooked!
It is still a Work in Progress though
Hard to believe each block is only 3 1/2" and has 33 pieces.
This photo is 9 blocks and 297 pieces.

9 done, 16 more to go..thats only 528 more pieces :)

Update: 25 February

Easier Triangle Units??

2009-01-13T08:34:00.000-08:00

I am working on this project called Fun & Done which overall is very simple, but it wastes a bit of fabric & I was trying to find a way to waste as little as possible. The ends of the blocks are 2 triangles and in the pattern it has you just lay down a 2 piece strip set then cut trim later, which is wasting just as much as its using.

After asking around, searching the net, pulling out a few hairs I thought about sewing 2 strips together and cutting them. I could swear i have seen this method done somewhere but couldn't find it anywhere in my searches. If someone knows who created this method please let me know and I will gladly give them credit. The photos below are my first "experiment" and are not meant to show any accuracy just testing out this method. I have tried explaining what I did best I can and if its confusing i apologize.

Here is the pattern I am working on, I am not doing it exactly as pictured, I am doing a solid strip for the center and using 5 colors instead of 2. Its the corner triangles that I was trying to save fabric on and have a easier way to get them done.

"Fun & Done"
Designs by Susan Nelson- Prairie Sky Quilting
This is a copyrighted pattern, for information please go to:
http://www.prairieskyquilting.com

My Solution

I cut strips 2 1/2" x 40".
Placed right sides together & sewed along each side creating a tube.

Next I placed my ruler at a 45 degree angle lining it up with the bottom of the fabric then left 1/4" in from the edge and cut.

Then I rotated the ruler & added the 1/4" and cut again.

I repeated that process until i had several cut

And when I was done, all the units are the same color pairs
which is what I needed for my pattern.
(When opening the units, the points are still sewn together but they pull open with no problem.)

Quilter's Sudoku

2008-09-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

Inspiration, Healing, Growing

2008-09-15T08:45:00.001-07:00

My grandmother is the one person who inspired me to begin quilting and now I am hooked. She never used a rotary cutter, probably never even heard of a Fat Quarter. She Cut with a Scissors and ripped her strips. She tied all her quilts with yarn. She didn't have a fancy sewing machine or fancy tools. She probably never stepped foot in a Quilt Shop and bought most of her fabric at walmart because it was what she could afford. While some quilters couldn't even imagine not having those things and then mention of walmart makes them cringe, she did have the one thing we all have in common as quilters. She had a Passion for Quilting.

She loved making quilts and we loved receiving them. Growing up at a certain age we would all get a quilt from grandma, for me it was 14 for my golden birthday. When we got married we all were the most excited to open the gift from grandma because we knew it would be a new quilt, just the anticipation wondering what ours would look like, wondering what pattern did she chose for us, was so wonderful. It wasn't until my husband was deployed that I suddenly got an urge to make a quilt and I am so glad I did. I got the idea in September 2006, finished the quilt for my husband in Late October with the help of my grandmother, my mother and my son. I figured out rotary cutting all on my own, had to borrow a sewing machine to make it. With numerous trips to the stores and still no knowledge about quilt shops I got it done in time for my husbands return. But I wanted more. I found a pattern that was simple and small and began to cut it out. I didn't know a thing about bias or straight of grain just cut. It was to be a gift for my mother. Well with my husband home and my kids needing me it didn't get much attention from me until late Christmas Day. I suddenly got this need to work on it and I couldn't stop until i at least had the top done. I finished it about 5am. At 6am my mom picked me up to go after Christmas shopping and at 7am my husband called me and said that my mother and I needed to come home that very moment, not even to check out. ....I knew...he wouldn't tell me but I knew

My grandmother had passed away within hours of me completing the top center of the quilt. To this day I still don't know why i got a sudden urge to work until i finished it. Its almost as if she was waiting for me to finish before she passed. The morning my grandmother passed, I had showed the completed top to my mom. She loved it but said she would rather i add to it and make a quilt instead of a wall hanging.

So after that it became hard for me to work on it to finish it because I felt for a long time if I finished it that I would be letting go and losing my grandma forever. I couldn't even sit down to sew. My husband bought me a sewing machine for Christmas and I couldn't even bring myself to take it out of the box. A year after her death I got it out and had added the borders. Then earlier this year at the Lakewood Sew In, I pinned my heart out. Then I got a chance to quilt with a Long Arm for the first time ever so I had to unpin the entire thing to get it on the machine. My mothers birthday was September 12th so I wanted to have it done on her birthday which after many many hours of trying to figure out binding for the very first time I am happy to say I am done.

Finally Finished, it was a long work in progress but it was also a time of healing and trying to let go. My grandmother had a heart of gold and has passed on to me a passion for quilting and my life will forever be blessed.

Almost There

2008-03-30T14:57:00.001-07:00

Finally made it to the Lakewood Sew-In and with some good advice and guidance I have the quilt all pinned up and ready to machine quilt!!!! Thank you to everyone for answering all my questions with a smile :) I learned a lot and had fun.

Special Thanks to Sarah for taking this photo for me!

Publish Post

Mystery Solved - Repurposed to Sewing Stand

2008-03-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

Bought this table at the Thrift Shop today for only $5 but curious what it was originally used for. Near the bottom there is a crank that pulls the wheels up and puts the feet down and makes the table very firm and sturdy. I thought it would work good for my son to sew on. Or.. if i want to sew in the living room. (UPDATE) Found out it was an old Typing table so mystery solved, Thank you!

Beginner Quilting Class Progress

2008-02-14T20:03:00.001-08:00

This will be all the progress for a while, the owner of the shop that was teaching this class postponed our last class then never rescheduled it. She wont return my calls anymore so I have just set it aside hoping to maybe get some help at another quilt shop that has been much more friendly and offered to help as soon as I can make it down there (without the kids at my feet...lol)
Working on Pinwheel Blocks Week 1 "HomeWork"
More Progress, learning new things in class Week 2
Getting there, slowly but surely!
Pinned up! Week 4

Ready to Quilt ( with little feet that just wont go away while I take the photo!!!)The family "ham"

1st & 2nd Quilts

2008-02-14T19:36:00.001-08:00

1st Ever Quilt, was for my husband for his "Welcome Home" after being deployed. He loves it so much he wont use it. Finished November 2006
2nd Quilt ~ 1st one without any help. Just the top is done right now. I finished the center part the day after Christmas 2006 and my grandmother who has inspired me to quilt passed away within hours of me finishing. It was a gift for my mother and she wanted a lap quilt, not a wall hanging so I had to add to the top and bottom all on my own. Took me nearly a year after she passed to sit down and want to quilt. Quilting makes me feel closer to her and the more I quilt the more I get hooked on it, just wish I had more time to sit and sew.